"It turned out that if you wanted to survive in the digital photography era, you needed to grow beyond film, and paper, and CCDs, and Flash drives, and printers. Kodak needed to stop being a chemical company and become an electronics company. The timid steps Kodak made in that direction with itís Nikon-based DSLR and the acquisition of Chinon Industries were not followed up with more determined actions."

"Over the years Kodak designed a range of advanced DSLRs based on Nikon 35-mm cameras, culminating in 2002 with the 14-megapixel DCS-14n Ė an excellent and relatively inexpensive ($5,000 vs Canonís EOS-1D at $8,000) professional DSLR based on the Nikon F80. And this is where Kodak screwed up once again: it made an executive assumption that the rest of us non-professional photographers couldnít possibly be interested in an inexpensive DSLR. Canon and Nikon thought otherwise."

Last edited by Richard Sintchak (rich815); 12-30-2011 at 07:39 PM. Click to view previous post history.

What I worry about is the avaliability of the raw materials used to make film. When there's so little demand for some key components of roll film and sheet film

In the Old days Kodak made every part of the film, including the yellow box It came in. I don't think that the makers today are quire taht itegrated, but the saving grace may be that most components are simalar to items used in other industries. Someone posted here that Fujifilm makes a plastic coated film used for Flat screen Tv sets in the same plant as they coat Photographic film for example - if this is correct it makes it easier for them to justify keeping that plant available to run a batch of Photofilm every now and then..

I read the 2010 annual report from AGFA http://www.agfa.com/global/en/main/i...orts/index.jsp where they said that the materials division was actively seeking all sorts of new applications for Polyester film base, coated with what ever the customer needs. But "graphics" (supplies for printing) was 50% of their revenue while Speciality products (film in all its Glory) was less than 10%

Some of the Stranger chemicals are basilica made to order anyway, and need the same sort of Infrastructure that Drug manufacture needs.

Charles MacDonaldaa508@ncf.ca
I still live just beyond the fringe in Stittsville